


Black Swan Protocole

by kunsnem



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, Goodbyes, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan-centric, Lee Jeno-centric, M/M, Major Character Injury, Matter of Life and Death, Medical Procedures, Mentioned Lee Taeyong, Mentioned Suh Youngho | Johnny, Poison, Poisoning, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28600542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunsnem/pseuds/kunsnem
Summary: "Never had they been so close to losing each other, yet so close to truly finding each other. Jeno had so many things he wanted to say, so many things that he was sorry for, and so much he wanted the beautiful boy in front of him to know. He intended on seizing the moment to tell him everything before it slipped away like sand through his fingers, if only time would let him."Check their agent profilesin this thread
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 14
Kudos: 25





	Black Swan Protocole

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first time posting on AO3 hiii ! I'm not new to writing AT ALL but new to posting here ! Please note that I tried my best to do some research and this is as realistic as possible in the medical side (of course I bended the rules a little to fit the story hehe)  
> Enjoy some pain and suffering served on a silver platter <3  
> PS. pls do cry in the comments and tell me if u appreciated a certain line i would love to see ur reactions :( and also if u have any questions im all ears too ! 
> 
> PSS : thank you Iz, Shay, Rawan, Kiki, Raz, and everyone who beared with me talking abt this fic excessively & esp Iz for being my beta reader, and Shay for listening to me ramble abt it 24/7

"Adonis, please, take me to Orion. Now."

"Helios… are you okay?", Jeno huffed, supporting the other who seemed disorientated. 

"Adonis, please.", whined Donghyuck, the strain in his voice evident. Jeno could see him slightly clutching his right side and had a million questions rushing through his head, but he still complied without hesitation.

Steady, Jeno threw Donghyuck's arm over his own shoulder, holding him by the waist to guide him away from the hall of the hotel now filled with security guards, to the back exit where a black minivan was already waiting for them.  
He slid open the door to the backseat and helped his partner step into the vehicle, letting him use his arm for support. After making sure Donghyuck was sitting comfortably, he stepped in and slammed the door shut before sitting to his left. Once they were both settled at the back, the driver looked expectantly at Jeno through the rear view mirror. 

"Hermes, two messages for you. Adonis and Helios present. Olympus, godspeed.", after hearing the orders, the driver nodded and started the engine. 

Once the car started moving, Jeno returned his focus on the one sitting next to him. It wasn't a pleasant sight, his partner with his head stuck to the head rest, huffing slightly, hurting. The car was moving fast, and he could see him wince every now and then when there was a slight bump in the road. Sure, there were times where they had been injured on a mission, but never had Jeno been so clueless as to what could have gotten him in this state. Usually, he always knows everything, every detail, what happens and when it happens. It's why he couldn't bear seeing him like this but he had to be strong, like always. 

"Helios… I saw you handling the mission from my standby point. You did so well, identifying him and neutralizing him within just a minute or two. What is going on right now? Where are you hurt?", he shifted to get a better look at his partner, "And don't you dare lie to me.", he added once he noticed the now too familiar smile creeping on his face. That same smile he would put on when he was about to reassure him that everything was fine, even when it clearly wasn't. 

"Promise me you won't get too mad at me, or too worried about me. Just...", he gritted his teeth as he turned slightly to his left to face the older, who was staring at him intently, "Just listen to me". 

Jeno nodded, eyes still fixated on Donghyuck. 

"He had a knife hidden in his sleeve, and while we were struggling, he managed to cut my side and kick me in the ribs. It's not deep at all but coupled with the kick, it's not too pleasant", he chuckled slightly before looking down at his lap, left hand resting on his thigh playing with the fabric of his pants. "When I got a little too close to him… I didn't notice, and I know it's stupid of me, I should have noticed…", he stopped rambling as soon as he saw Jeno's hand covering his, softly stroking the back of his hand with his thumb in an attempt to reassure him. The warmth of the other's hand not only calmed his nerves, but his pain too. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I should've noticed that he had a syringe in his hand… but when I did, it was already too late."

At the mention of the syringe, Jeno's hand suddenly stopped in its motion. Donghyuck didn't look up, but he could feel his gaze piercing through his skull. 

"Lee Haechan… are you saying that-"

"He injected me with cyanide. When I held him in a headlock he took the opportunity and injected it into my right arm. Since last time, you know I've been taking small doses everyday to heighten my tolerance… I'm not sure how much I have in my system right now, we'll see that with Orion once we get there. He has an antidote, don't worry, I'll be okay. Adonis? Adonis? Are you listening?"

He wasn't. From the second he heard the word cyanide, Donghyuck's voice turned into a distant echo. Today, Jeno's mission was to stay on standby as backup since only one agent had to apprehend the criminal. He regrets ever letting their team captain name Donghyuck as main agent on the mission.  
Cyanide, that deadly poison. He clearly remembers the last time they had been so close to it. Although it was two years ago, he remembers it as if it was yesterday. He remembers being tied up to that chair. He remembers watching with horror and attempting to yell through the cloth placed in his mouth as he saw Lee Youngheum show him the small bottle in his hand, a devilish smile on his face. He remembers seeing his best friend apparently knocked out on the ground, completely at Youngheum's mercy.  
It can't be happening. They managed to make it out alive last time, but it cannot be happening again. It's not real, it's all in his head, right? He can't lose him like this. Not today, not yet. 

"Lee Jeno ?", the sudden mention of his name snapped him from his spiral and he realized he had zoned out for a little too long. He looked over Donghyuck's shoulder through the tinted window and noticed they were already crossing the Cheongdam bridge, not far from their base. He returned his focus on the one who was now gripping his hand tightly and carefully studying his features with his eyebrows knitted together. Ironic, isn't it? His best friend is the one possibly dying right in front of him but is also the one who seems the most worried about his partner at the moment. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Passing through a couple of doors with fingerprint identity checks unlocked by Hermes, all three of them were now standing in front of a plain black door with no handle, no keyhole or peephole, waiting for it to open.  
Only seven minutes had passed since they had left the hotel, but to Donghyuck it felt like an eternity. He had once again Jeno's arm wrapped around his waist, hand carefully placed so it didn't press where it already hurts. He was holding Donghyuck's hand that was reaching his left shoulder for additional support, since the latter was having much more trouble holding himself up.  
After a few seconds, white dots appeared on the door. Hermes quickly tapped the door with his fingers, connecting them naturally. Once the constellation was complete, the door swiftly slid open. 

Before he could say anything, Jeno was interrupted by Donghyuck who spoke up for the first time since they had entered the base.

"Hyung, 180623, reup." Upon hearing those words the man who was waiting for them a few feet away from the door readjusted his glasses and walked over to them, his face harboring an unreadable expression. 

"Seo Youngho, you can leave. Tell Zeus that I have two of my agents here and that we might need to initiate a Black Swan protocole for one of them."  
Jeno waited until he heard the familiar click signifying that the door closed behind them before speaking up. 

"Black Swan? Kun ge, he told me you had an antidote! He's going to make it, right?", asked Jeno in disbelief. The weight of his best friend was growing heavier by the minute and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep standing for long. Without acknowledging his questions, Kun positioned himself on Donghyuck's right side to help support his weight. 

"Lee Jeno, let's get him to the blue room, he needs to lie down right now. Tell me, how long has it been? Do you have any other injuries?"

With a heavy heart, Jeno did what he always does, he complied. If it was about anything else he would insist, as the naturally stubborn person he is, but not when it comes to Donghyuck. They started moving towards the blue door at the right side of the room, his partner stumbling as he tried to walk with them. 

"It's been 9 minutes and 40 seconds since injection.", stated Donghyuck. 

"Alright, let's see what we can do." 

Kun opened the door, and the lights automatically turned on. It was their team's private medical center. In this spacious room, all sorts of high tech medical equipment was at their disposal, from the simple stethoscope to an MRI machine and many innovations that were not even available to the public. The room was separated in different areas, depending on the care needed, all of it solely dedicated to their team of 8 agents in total.  
It was empty as Kun led them towards one of the hospital beds to make a first diagnosis. He immediately clicked on his watch, activating a projector showing a timer on the wall next to the bed. If it was really a case 180623, they had to move fast since he didn't know how much time they had left to potentially save his agent yet.

Jeno carefully helped Donghyuck get out of his suit jacket and lie down on the bed, smiling when he heard him sigh contentedly.  
Kun motioned him to sit in the chair that was close to the bed, and pressed a button on the wall. The younger watched as a trapdoor opened in the wall next to the older agent and a large tablet came out. He tapped in the code and, with a few motions on the screen, he turned on the AI. 

"Aceso, full body diagnosis please." he demanded, "Lee Jeno, please make sure you're not touching him while it's running the diagnosis".  
Obeying his captain, he took his hands away from where they were relying on the bed to be sure it wasn't affecting the beam, scanning Donghyuck's body up and down.  
In a matter of seconds, they heard a beep, and a feminine robotic voice echoed.

"Diagnosis of Agent n°0606 Lee Donghyuck, codename Helios, completed. Two external injuries: one fractured rib, one superficial cut, both located on the right side. No internal bleeding or vital organ damaged. Presence of cyanide detected in the body, please run a blood test to verify the level per liter of blood and determine the time remaining. Oxygen levels normal, might be affected in the following minutes. Verification of symptoms needed. Please proceed, Agent Qian."

"Thank you Aceso. Okay so Haechan, Jeno will patch you up and I'll draw some of your blood to run the analysis process. Waiting for the result, which should take approximately 3 minutes, I'll ask you about how you're feeling to estimate how much it's affecting you mentally and physically. That way, I can figure out how advanced it is and the specific amount of antidote required to save you.", Kun said all in one breath before resting his hand on Donghyuck's shoulder, "Is that okay with you?".  
"Yes, captain, do whatever you need to do I'll… I'll try my best to help", he replied with his signature bright smile, although it was not quite reaching his eyes.  
"Captain? Mr. Lee Haechan finally showing me some respect as leader of this team only when he's potentially on his deathbed? Maybe you should get into these situations more often then!", he joked as he was getting the equipment necessary to draw a blood sample. 

In the meantime, Jeno got up, took off his own jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and looked up at the timer: 12 minutes since injection. He shook his head and reached out for the hand sanitizer on the bedside table, rubbing his hands and taking a better look at Donghyuck. He could see the white shirt slightly ripped on his right side, some blood already dried up on it, forming a burgundy stain.

"Can you open your shirt yourself or do you want me to do it?"  
"Never knew you so gentle, Lee Jeno. Usually, you do it with no hesitation, adding to that all the _'What were you thinking? Are you stupid? Every time, I'm the one who takes care of you. Maybe you got hit in the head, that must be what made you so careless'_ ", retorted Donghyuck, imitating him with an exaggerated deep voice, causing Kun to giggle behind them.  
"His impression of you is spot on, I have to admit."  
"Kun ge, don't side with him!", whined Jeno, pouting at him.

He then glared at his friend before starting to unbutton his shirt, quickly yet carefully, so he could treat his wound. He had no idea how he still managed to make these jokes while being this sick, but he was grateful for it. It's not Donghyuck if he's not being insufferable one way or another. He noticed a slight shiver at the contact of cold air, and understood he needed to take care of this small injury fast before his state worsened.  
As Donghyuck and Aceso said, the cut was not deep, but the area was red and a bit swollen, due to his fractured rib. 

"Hey loser, you can squeeze my other arm if it stings too much, okay?", he announced before moving forward to disinfect the wound.  
The brown haired boy hissed at the contact and dug his nails deep into his left forearm, as instructed. Jeno would be lying if he said the grip this man had on him wasn't strong, both figuratively and literally, but he could endure the pain a little longer.

Experienced, it took him less than a minute to disinfect and bandage it. He rubbed his left arm and noticed the spot where Donghyuck's nails left a mark. _It wasn't how he hoped to be marked by him, but that was a discussion for another day. _Kun slightly nudged him to sit back down while holding a tube and a syringe in his other hand, snapping him out of his thoughts.  
As soon as he spotted the needle near him, Donghyuck instinctively shifted and reached out to grip Jeno's wrist with his other hand, growling in pain because of the sudden pressure on his injured side. Stopped in his motion, Jeno dragged the chair closer to the bed and sat down, his arm still in his best friend's grasp. __

____

"Go ahead, hyung… sorry, I didn't mean to… it's just-"

____

"Don't worry, I understand.", reassured Kun before tapping his arm lightly, "I'm going in now, can you please clench your fist?". 

____

After long seconds, he was done drawing the right amount of blood and placed the tube in a glowing glass sphere embedded in the wall. It instantly shut and the glowing light turned from white to orange, signifying that the analysis process had started.  
Beads of cold sweat were starting to pearl Donghyuck's forehead, his hair sticking to it. It came to his partner's attention, who took the blanket at the end of the bed and covered him with it, taking his arms out of it with care. Donghyuck watched as he took a small towel and started dabbing the sweat off his forehead. 

____

"...symptoms?", he catched the end of Kun's sentence, "Lee Haechan, I asked what are your symptoms? How are you feeling?".  
He had been too lost looking into Jeno's eyes, who was now sitting next to him and keeping the towel in place, to pay attention. His eyes shining bright, full of worry, and a hint of something that seemed to be… no way. No, he must be delirious.  
He then cleared his throat to answer the question. 

____

"I had 0.37 milligrams per liter in my system prior to injection. Symptoms are dizziness, disorientation, decreasing body temperature. I also experience slight leg tremors but that's about it. I'm feeling a little light-headed I-… I-", he stuttered.  
"Deep breaths, you got this Haechan." Jeno flashed him a small smile. It worked like magic. Hearing him softly whisper his nickname, seeing him smile, watching his eyes disappear and form pretty crescent moons.  
"I have this massive headache and I feel a pull in my chest. Kun hyung… I don't think we can-"  
"Don't.", Jeno cut him off, "Don't finish that sentence. You're going to be okay, Kun ge is going to find a way, okay?" 

____

Donghyuck couldn't utter another word before hearing a loud beep. The blood analysis was completed. He turned to look at their captain who had been silent the entire time. He was listening to him and taking notes of the symptoms to estimate how severe it was, but he could only be sure once the results were there. 

____

"Fuck. How the hell did he get his hands on that?", muttered Kun under his breath while looking at the tablet, unfortunately loud enough for the two younger agents to hear.  
"Gege… he's going to be okay, right?", this time, the raven haired boy's voice wasn't as confident as he wanted it to be. He didn't want to admit it, but Jeno was starting to doubt whether his partner would make it out alive or not. He looked up at the timer again: 18 minutes and 23 seconds since injection. He knows it'll only get worse from here.  
Donghyuck's fingers, which were still wrapped around his wrist this whole time, found their way to his hand as he started playing with his fingers. It was a habit he had every time he was nervous, to find something to fiddle with. More often than not, said 'something' happened to be Jeno's hand. 

____

"He combined potassium cyanide with sodium arsenite. I won't get into the details of the composition, but this is really, really bad.", Kun sighed before regaining some composure and coming closer, petting Donghyuck's hair slowly, "I have a way to save you, hopefully. We have the Lilly Cyanide antidote kit. I already notified agent Huang to come and help me take care of you, he should be here any minute. If my calculations are right, we have approximately 35 minutes to save you, but we'll try to be as quick as possible.  
Lee Haechan, I need you to know that I'm going to do my absolute best to save you, okay? The day I recruited you, I promised your brother that I would protect you no matter what, that I would keep you safe, and I intend on keeping my promise. I'll try not to let you or Taeyong down, I promise I'll try. You were the very first member to join my team, you'll stay with me until the end, right?" 

____

He smiled down at Donghyuck, who was putting up a good front but his eyes could not lie. Deep down, the boy was scared, and it was understandable. His life was hanging by a thread, and he hadn't even experienced the most painful part of the poisoning yet. 

____

All of a sudden, the door opens wide and Renjun bolts in, holding a big medical briefcase. He looks around and quickly walks towards the bed where Donghyuck was lying down, putting it down on the table next to Kun. He then stopped to steady his breathing, both hands on his hips. He had probably been running here all the way from the break room, judging from his untied shoes and his slightly messy hair.  
The three agents remained silent, waiting for him to speak up, which he did after a few seconds.  
"Goddammit Lee Haechan, why do you decide to die during my only hour of break? Is this funny to you?", he said in a falsely accusatory tone, in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension in the room. 

____

Donghyuck tried to laugh, but it only caused a shooting pain in his side. Seeing him wince even harder than before, Jeno tried to soothe him by running his hand up and down his arm. Once again, it worked wonders, and Donghyuck was sure more than ever that he needed his guardian angel to be with him until the end.  
Kun pulled Renjun by the arm and they started conversing in mandarin, voice low so the others wouldn't hear them, even though they knew they wouldn't understand much.  
Jeno thought to himself that now was the perfect time to distract his best friend from the pain he was feeling. 

____

"Do you remember our first mission together? Four years ago when I joined the team, it used to be only Kun, Johnny, Renjun and you.", he asked softly. 

____

"Warehouse 505. I remember it as if it was yesterday.", replied Donghyuck, taking his eyes away from Jeno's to stare at the ceiling, "You were so clumsy you almost blew our cover because you sneezed."  
"There was a cat! What was I supposed to do?"  
"Um, definitely not sneezing? Die in silence?", he replied with a cheeky smile while sparing him a glance before looking back at a certain spot above him, "but to be honest… I wish I could go back to 505 and be nicer to you then. I was so rude because we had just met and I thought you were an incompetent guy with a pretty face who had nothing to do on our team.", he added, his smile slowly fading.  
"So you think I'm prettyyyy", teased Jeno, while poking his cheek playfully.  
"Of course, the prettiest", breathed out Donghyuck. His eyes grew wide when he realized he said this out loud and he quickly looked the other way as he felt heat coming up his cheeks.  
"How can I be the prettiest when there's you, though?", whispered the dark haired boy after a few seconds, while brushing Donghyuck's wet hair away from his forehead, trying to get him to look his way. Still avoiding his gaze, they fall in a small awkward silence, quickly broken by the sound of Donghyuck's heavy breathing. He was lacking oxygen, tapping Jeno's arm quickly to get his attention. 

____

"Hey! Hey! Breathe, it's okay, you're okay, we got you, don't worry.", assured Jeno before turning to around and shouting, "Kun ge, please do something, he can't breathe! Kun ge! Oxygen, please! Now!" 

____

Kun, still working on the antidote, looked up at Renjun who instantly left his side to come and help.

____

"Lee Jeno, move away, I need some space.", demanded Renjun, clicking on one of the buttons next to the head of the bed, opening a new trapdoor in the wall from which he pulled an oxygen mask. 

____

Jeno immediately got up but Donghyuck tried to stop him, holding his wrist with the strength he had left.  
"Don't leave me please", he pleaded weakly, his eyes starting to well up with tears, before gasping for air again.  
"Take the chair and go sit on the other side. I need to turn this on quickly so he doesn't lose consciousness. Move. Now!", Renjun pushed him to the side and Jeno took the chair and placed it on the left side of the bed, taking his best friend's hand once he was seated. He was in a daze, the only thing bringing him back to his senses being Donghyuck squeezing his hand tight as soon as he felt it in his. 

____

He looked up and saw him blinking quickly, struggling to keep his eyes open. Soon enough, Renjun had placed a transparent oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose, mist appearing on it as he breathed. The quick beeps from the monitor were not loud, but they resonated in Jeno's head as he waited for his breathing to steady, chest still rising and falling too fast. He noticed Renjun had placed a hand on Donghyuck's chest and was telling their captain something in mandarin about possible complications, which worried him even more, but he tried to remain calm.  
Seeing a small tear escape his best friend's eye, he took a corner of the blanket covering him and wiped it.  
He then spared a glance at the wall again: 21 minutes 43 seconds left to save him. Kun had probably changed the timer's setting earlier, and it was now showing the time remaining, based on his calculations. 

____

"Lee Jeno, talk to him, keep him conscious, just say anything. We still need some time to be sure of the amount to inject, and make sure we won't worsen his state.", explained Kun as he was frantically tapping on the tablet to finalize the calculations, Renjun still standing where Jeno's chair was previously placed, controlling the oxygen levels.

____

"Hey, Haechan, can you hear me well?", asked the dark haired boy while moving closer to him, wondering if Donghyuck's own breathing was too loud for him to hear anything else.  
He could see him nodding slightly, squeezing his hand in response, as a way to tell him 'go ahead'.

____

Rattling his brain on what to say, Jeno had only one thing that kept repeating over and over again in his mind. It was probably the last chance he'd get to say it, it would be foolish to pass on it and live the rest of his life with regret. Heart racing, he nervously traced unknown patterns on the back of Donghyuck's hand. Start slow, and see how it goes, he thought.

____

"Remember when we had our first mission in Europe three years ago?", he started with a chuckle,"We had to spend two weeks in Paris to prevent a heist at a special gala night held at Le Louvre", he reminisced, scanning his friend's face to see his reaction only to find him staring at him, blinking slowly but attentive.  
"We had to pretend to be one of those rich couples who were invited, and even had to learn french for it. You wouldn't stop calling me 'bébé' the whole time, I wanted to deck you in the face so bad", Donghyuck pressed on his hand and Jeno shook his head fondly, "Okay yes, I admit it, I did. And obviously, as the drama queen you are, you never let me live it down… but I was just playing. I would never hurt you, you know.", he added sheepishly, looking down and now holding his partner's hand with both of his. 

____

He could hear the sound from the machine becoming more regular, signifying that the other was doing a bit better, and was hoping he had something to do with it. 

____

"Haechan-ah… I don't want to talk to you as if it's the last time I ever will, because I know you're going to make it. You have to. Otherwise I…", his eyes lingered a little too long on the timer, and he held his hand even tighter, "Don't take anything I say as a goodbye, it's merely an 'I'm trying to comfort my best friend who's suffering and I don't really know what to say' kind of thing. Okay?" 

____

But he was lying. They both knew he was.  
Never had they been so close to losing each other, yet so close to truly finding each other. Jeno had so many things he wanted to say, so many things that he was sorry for, and so much he wanted the beautiful boy in front of him to know. He intended on seizing the moment to tell him everything before it slipped away like sand through his fingers, if only time would let him. 

____

From the corner of his eye, he could see Renjun trying his best not to eavesdrop on his storytelling, but it was hard when all that was separating them was a bed. Donghyuck was seconds away from slipping into unconsciousness, maintained awake only by Jeno talking to him and pressing on his hand to keep his attention.  
Not letting the worry and sadness overcome him was harder than he thought. Jeno felt tears coming up as the thought of losing him was occupying a growing space in his mind. Donghyuck always teased him for crying when he's angry, but he was never one to cry when he's sad. Yet today, seeing his sun losing its light right in front of him, he could only try and stop the tears from falling. He cleared his throat, ready to speak up again without tearing up, hopefully. 

____

"Since you can't really speak right now, I can say this without you ruining the moment or trying to shut me up", he said with a small laugh before taking a deep breath, "We've been partners for four years now, and I don't think I've ever met anyone as incredible as you, Lee Haechan. We always bicker and joke around, always get on each other's nerves, but we always have each other's back. I always got your back, and that's why you shouldn't have gotten hurt today. If I could, I would go back in time and take your place on this mission. I mean it. I would rather die than lose you. I would rather suffer the most painful death than sit here and see you struggle to take another breath again.  
You know, when we got our final codenames as a team and you were assigned Helios, it matched with you so well, as if it was made for you from the start. You truly are the sun. You shine like no other, bringing happiness wherever you go. Whenever I'm with you, it seems like the sun tries to shine brighter than you, but it can't. I guess what I'm trying to say is that… I just… I don't want to lose you before I ever get the chance to tell you that I…", he gulped, his saliva thick in his throat, looking for the right words. Donghyuck was now staring intently at him, a small frown on his face, his hand heavier in Jeno's grasp. No matter what he had said before, it did sound very much like a goodbye. Recollecting his thoughts, he looked up, eyes shining with regret.  
"Don't leave me, please. I want you to know that I-"

____

Jeno was interrupted by a continuous beep coupled with Donghyuck's head dropping to the side, eyes closed and a single tear rolling down his cheek.  
From then on, everything moved in slow motion. Kun and Renjun rushed to the bedside grabbing the antidote that was finally ready. He looked up at the timer again, all his surroundings blurry but the numbers in bright red in full focus: 11 minutes 22 seconds left.  
Jeno heard them distantly ask if he was okay, he could feel his head nodding but his mind wasn't present in the moment. 

____

He didn't get to tell him. If only had time been kinder, and let him finish his sentence. If only had fate been kinder, he wouldn't be losing his everything while holding him close. If only had he been braver, he would've told him how he felt two years ago when he realized that losing him was the only fear he had.  
He spent his whole life believing he had no fear, nothing to lose. But that changed on June 23rd 2018. The day their mission to detain or eliminate Lee Youngheum went wrong. It was the first time they were given full clearance, and they were more than ready for whatever was coming their way. However, they didn't expect the recruit sent with them as back up to be a mole planted in their organization by the criminal himself, who turned on them when they reached the core of the facility. After that, they woke up in a dark room, Jeno tied up to a chair, Donghyuck lying on the floor, and Lee Youngheum hovering over him, ready to end his life with a mortal dose of cyanide in hand. He could've easily gotten out of his ties but he couldn't risk the criminal making it worse. If he moved an inch, he was warned that his best friend's death would be even more painful. Thankfully, Donghyuck was only faking unconsciousness. When Youngheum got close enough, he managed to knock him off balance, kick the cyanide far away and render him unconscious with a targeted hit to his neck.  
Jeno untied himself and Donghyuck handed him his gun and other weapons that were on a table near them. Surrounded by his henchmen, their only solution was to escape.  
That day, for the first time in his entire life, Lee Jeno was scared out of his mind. He was scared to lose him, and it wasn't just because he was his partner, or his best friend. He was scared to lose him because that would mean losing the love of his life. Donghyuck was one in a million. He was a fragment of the sun on earth and Jeno was a sunflower, who follows him wherever he goes. 

____

"Lee Jeno? Lee Jeno can you hear me? Jeno, are you okay?", asked Renjun, tapping his shoulder. Hearing no response, he decided to grab both arms of the chair and turn it so he would be facing him, tearing his eyes away from Donghyuck's unconscious figure, "We gave him the antidote and he is in a coma. He doesn't need the mask for assistance anymore. I don't know if he'll make it, but, if there's no other complications, it could save him. You hear me? There's a chance he might make it, very small, but it's there. There is still around 7 minutes on the timer. Although... if he ever wakes up, he might have long lasting side effects, but… oh my god, Jeno are you crying?" 

____

Jeno's face was void of all emotions, and tears were dropping one after the other, before streaming down his face and leaving shiny pearls on his black pants. He didn't raise his head to look at him, eyes blankly staring at his chest. Renjun tried to hold himself together but it was hard. It was the first time he'd ever seen him cry. 

____

"Okay, Jeno, come with me. When was the last time you've eaten something?", asked the silver haired boy, tugging at his hand but the other did not budge. He mumbled something incomprehensible while pushing his hand away.

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"Sorry, what did you say? Can you repeat that, please? Don't worry, I'm right here.", he asked again, crouching so he was at eye level with him. 

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"I can't… I can't leave him. I promised I wouldn't leave him. I can't.", replied Jeno in a whisper, his head dropping low. He knew that if he spoke a little louder, his voice would break and he didn't want to worry him even more.  
"Alright. Kun ge and I have to take care of some stuff but you have water on the bedside table if you need, okay? You can still talk to him. He can hear you, it can help him wake up if you do, you know? He's not gone yet, you still have some time. Don't waste it.", he told him before getting up, kissing the top of his head and heading back towards Kun who was watching the scene a few meters away.  
Jeno paid attention to his quick footsteps and their conversation. He caught a word among others, one of the few words he understands : 黑天鹅. Black Swan. It was the only confirmation he needed, this is the end. The Black Swan protocole is only set in motion when an agent dies after a mission. 

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Looking up once again at the timer, he sees there's a little over five minutes left. He dries his tears quickly and gets closer to the bed again. Now, he could see his features clearly, his face not covered with a mask anymore. He could see his eyelashes shining, and moles peppering his skin like stars forming a constellation. Jeno chuckles sadly when the memory of once tracing lines between them while his best friend had fallen asleep during a pyjama party with the rest of the team resurfaced in his mind.  
He gently pushes away some of the hair falling over his eyes and his fingers linger on his cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb. His touch was light, as if he was handling glass and afraid he might break it. 

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"Haechan… I was told you can hear me.", it was the first time he spoke up in a while, his voice was a bit hoarse, "I really hope it's true, because otherwise I'd be talking to myself and that's embarrassing. When we were in Paris, I learned so much french, yet there's one thing I didn't tell you, even if we were playing pretend husbands for a week. And now, I really regret it. Wow, I really keep the suspense until the end, it must be so annoying for you. If you were awake right now, you'd probably slap me for taking so much time to say it. It sounds foolish, but I _wish_ you would slap me right now for being so goddamn stupid all these years. I deserve it. I really do.", he sighed, looking at his hand hoping it would somehow escape his grasp and end up on his cheek, "But it's not just me, you were stupid too… you could've told me, too. All those times when we were so close, all those times where our faces were millimeters away from one another, hiding behind desks or in closets.", that last word made him smile bitterly, "You could've kissed me whenever you wanted to because I was already yours all along."  
He took a deep breath, his left hand holding his best friend's hand even tighter, his right hand on his cheek, ready to finally say goodbye.  


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_"Je t'aime, Lee Donghyuck." ___

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He closes his eyes and drops a kiss on his forehead staying there for a few seconds, before feeling a tug in his hand. He slowly pulls away, looking at the timer showing 00:00:00, wondering if he hadn't imagined it. But then again, he feels Donghyuck's hand slightly twitch in his, and he realizes. He's alive. He's still here. He's not gone. 

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"Kun ge… I think… I don't know if I'm dreaming... but I think his hand moved.", he said, dumbfounded, scanning his face for any signs of movement. 

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Kun and Renjun both ran to the bed, and noticed some other movement in the boy's body.  
"Eyelids, his eyelids are moving Renjun, he's right. He's right.", added their captain in disbelief. 

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It was easy to see that none of them had had any hope to see their sunshine boy smiling again after today. Yet here they were, at his bedside, waiting for him to wake up, because they knew he would. It was no longer a stubborn wish, but a reality. 

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Donghyuck slowly opened his eyes, frowning because of the light.  
"Gege, dim it a little.", asked Renjun, and Kun immediately clicked on his watch, turning the room's white lights into a softer yellow.  
He was now opening his eyes with more ease, and he took a look around, visibly disorientated. He stared at Kun, then Renjun, and lastly Jeno in an attempt to understand the situation. He didn't want to get ahead of himself, but Jeno noticed something different in his gaze, as if he was looking at a different Donghyuck.  
The latter tried to prop himself up on his elbows but the three of them instantly stopped him, hushing him and telling him not to rush.

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He looked at Jeno intently again, analyzing his features, his eyes dropping to his hand holding his, frowning even more. He turned towards his teammates with a questioning look and said words that shattered Jeno's heart in an instant.

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_"Kun hyung, Injun-ah… who is this man?" ___

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**Author's Note:**

> That's it !! I really hope u enjoyed reading it as much as i loved writing it :D kudos and comments appreciated of course ! any questions are welcome too !  
> Precision : their codenames and the name of the AI all hold a significance from greek mythology !
> 
> \- HELIOS : personification of the sun for our Fullsun Haechan  
> \- ADONIS : personification of beauty for our beautiful handsome prince Jeno  
> \- ORION : titan of tremendous beauty who was a hunter and became a constellation, like our stellar agent Kun who now is a great leader who looks over his team  
> \- HERMES : messenger of the gods, god of communication for our smart Johnny who forms the connection between HQ and field agents  
> \- ACESO : goddess of healing process and curing sickness for the medical AI  
> -ZEPHYR : god of the west wind and of spring for our Renjun, it just fits perfectly !! (not mentionned in the story but eh bonus!) 
> 
> If u want to check more from me, i have a noren youtube au on my twt au acc you can check out ( @redhairjeno ) and i plan on posting a kunten socmed au there in the future ! 
> 
> Yes, I am thinking of MAYBE one day writing a sequel with Jeno leading Haechan on the path of remembering him and the love he has or him but i don't really know how yet so don't expect it too much !! 
> 
> Thank u for reading ily take care  
> (u can contact me on @kunsnem on twt if u need!)


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